Page 69 of Pieces of Us

We all laughed.

“You weren’t dumb, Shani. I been telling you that you been wanting to sit on the man’s face and lap since we were younger. You just wanted to play hard,” Shelby said, waving her off.

“Whatever. Anyway, how are you and Hemi working out, Boogie?” she asked, taking the heat off of her.

“Everything is how it should have been. It feels surreal at times but feels good no less. He hates when I bring up the past, but it’s what defines these moments we have together. I regret a lot of things, and I’m working on letting it go.”

“Girl, y’all daddy was a mess back then, and he’s a mess now. I’ve never known someone who hates someone so much, that he would keep a child away from their father,” Chelsea countered, shaking her head.

I sipped my margarita as I watched the partygoers dance. “He never used to act like this. It wasn’t until Hemi and I got together did he change. And now I know why.”

“I still can’t believe Mommy cheated on him with your baby daddy’s daddy. That is some mess for your ass.” Drue laughed.

“I can’t believe it either. I’m just glad that situation didn’t go any further. However, it did create problems for me and Nehemiah.”

“When Uncle Cole found out you two were dating, he said they both agreed to not go any further. That would have been bad business for y’all,” Shanise spoke.

“Tell me about it,” I replied.

“How’s Meg? Like how does she feel now that you and Justin aren’t together and finding out she has a completely different father?” Chelsea asked.

“She loves it. Nehemiah is like her best friend, and their bond has been beautiful to witness. She still talks to Justin, but with everything that’s been going on, I don’t want her going anywhere with him.”

“Yeah, I say let this situation calm down first. I don’t think Justin would do anything to Megan, but he may say some shit that will have the Newson men turning up on his ass,” Drue said.

“Right, and that’s something I don’t need. I want to live peacefully with my babies and my man.” I beamed.

“We’re so happy to have you back, Boogie. Now, we can hang like we used to, and since you’re not as reserved as you used to be, we’re about to cut the fuck up!” Chelsea exclaimed and I laughed.

“I missed y’all so much. Let’s take some shots to celebrate!”

“Oh, hell nah. The last time you got drunk, you was dropping ass all over the place. Don’t have Reggie and Ussef calling your man to come get you!” Drue said, looking over at Chelsea and Shelby’s security.

Their eyes and head were on a swivel, while their faces held the meanest mug. I just knew they could kill someone with their bare hands.

“Trust me. He won’t mind when I’m dropping it on him.”

“TMI, bitch!” Drue exclaimed, covering her ears.

We all laughed and continued to enjoy the night. By the time midnight rolled around, I was feeling nice and ready to go.

As I said before, it had been way too long since I hung out with anyone besides Drue. I had no friends because I didn’t trust anyone. I should have known something was off with Jolie when she kept trying to make friends with me. I thought I had a good discernment about people, but never did I think Justin would step out on me.

I tried to overlook it, and that was my problem. Maybe I didn’t care enough to look into him sooner, or maybe I was too afraid to find out what he was really up to. However, I couldn’t keep that nagging feeling from attacking me, and I couldn’t have found out at a better time.

Nehemiah coming back into my life had to be a sign from God. I truly believed that because he was my soulmate, my one, and now, we had a second chance to be together with no distractions.

Drue pulled into Nehemiah’s driveway twenty minutes later. I looked over and smiled at her as she placed the car in park.

“What?” she asked.

“I love you, Sister.”

“Oh gosh! Get your drunk ass out of my car.”

I laughed. “I’m being serious, Drue. You’ve always had my back no matter what I was going through with your dad.”

“That’s yo’ bald headed ass daddy, not mine.”

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